


An unpretentious bouquet of very early blooming parentheses

by autisticrick



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: (probably), Aged-Up Peter Parker, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - No Powers, BAMF Peter Parker, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Messy, Misunderstandings, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, books and stuff, but expect more reference to uh, idk where this story is going
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autisticrick/pseuds/autisticrick
Summary: Tony was just trying to flirt with the cute cashier at the equally cute bookstore cafe in Forest Hills.Peter actually has a Master's in English Literature, codes in his spare time for fun, and lucked into getting  a cheap property in a yet-to-be-gentrified corner of Queens.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 143
Collections: ellie marvel fics - read





	An unpretentious bouquet of very early blooming parentheses

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last big one from the tumblr archive. There are a couple minor snippets that I may or may not post at some point, but they're more meta-like and not as suited to Ao3. I don't have a lot of this planned out, but I kind of want to take a crack at doing a true slow burn (if I ever get to do my other WIPs first lol).
> 
> The original prompt was from an ask game: Bookstore AU + Meet Messy + "Did you hack into my hot spot?" Title comes from an actually very pretentious Salinger novel.

Tony had been making eyes with the cute cashier at the indie bookstore/cafe tucked away in Forest Hills all afternoon. He'd been looking for a change of pace, a nice place to do work instead of being cooped up in his stuffy office. 

Actually—Pepper had simply insisted he'd been spending too much time indoors lately and needed to go outside. She suggested he take a subway to the end of line and see where he ended up. It had probably a sarcastic one, but Tony is feeling adventurous.

Tony has never been a big reader, but he couldn't deny the charming aesthetic of drinking a latte next to a shelf full of books from authors he couldn't even pronounce. And again, the young man working the register looked good enough to eat. _Maybe_ even as good as the free scone he got with his coffee.

But Tony’s been here since 9 AM and the kid (he couldn't be older than 23) hasn't taken so much as a bathroom break. No opportunity for the charming billionaire to swoop him off his feet without the awkwardness of the service industry standing between them (Tony is an asshole, but not _that_ kind of asshole). No matter how many winks or suggestive glances he goves, the young man wouldn't budge.

So he'll have to resort to plan B: actually making an effort.

Tony approaches the counter as Peter (the cute little nametag comes into view now that he's close enough) finishes helping an old lady pick between two trashy looking YA novels for her granddaughter.

"Personally, I'm not a big fan of hers, but I heard this one’s great for people who are into her other work."

"So you really think she'll like _Wayward Son_ over," the woman squints to read the title on the grayish cover, " _Impostors_?"

"For sure!" Peter offers a smile as the woman agrees with his choice and he bags the hardcover title. "Thanks for shopping with us!" Once she's out of earshot, Tony approaches the counter to make his move.

"Well, _that_ was some impressive business maneuvering," he drawls, draping a confident and uncovered forearm across the counter. "Pushing the more expensive hardcover over the trade paperback." So Tony googled a little bit about book selling while working; he likes to come prepared.

Peter raises a brow, but doesn't seem very impressed. He gives his bicep a slightly judgemental look before going back to Tony’s face. "Well, a 13-year-old who, 'likes the Hunger Games but not the people dying part' isn't going to go for, you know, dystopia fiction." Tony blinks, as Peter moves the other book under the counter with a smug grin. "Did you have a question, sir?"

"Well, more of an observation, really," Tony says, just a little flustered. He has to try another angle. "You say you're 'independent,' but you've got a whole display dedicated to the new... _Police Dog_ book, huh?" Tony says. Peter raises his eyebrow once again and offers him a clipped, but amused laugh.

"Is this your attempt at wooing me, Mr. Stark?" Peter replies. "Because you could start by getting the title right for _the_ most popular middle grade graphic novel."

"Oh?" Being recognized is definitely a great way to stroke Tony's ego, but _also_ playing hard-to-get? Peter is checking off more boxes than Tony knew he _had_.

"It's called _Dog Man_ ," he nodded toward the standee with the title in cartoonishly bold lettering (the word "police" wasn't anywhere to be found, Tony realizes in embarrassment), "and just because something is popular doesn't mean it isn't quality children's literature."

"That's...admirable?" Tony tries. It seems he's vastly miscalculated how easy it would be to pick up Peter. He's currently checking his phone. "So, would you _also_ say that just because a _person_ is—"

"Did you hack into my hotspot?" Peter cuts him off suddenly, nose scrunching up (adorably, Tony has to say but definitely not out loud). "Because I just got a text from my provider that my data is almost used up." He shoots him a look so cutting that Tony immediately pulls his arm back like it’s been burned. He gulps. 

"N-no, I'm connected to...the public wi-fi?" Tony tries, but it ends up lilting toward a question. Usually he just has his phone set up to find the fastest connection, so he has no idea if he actually connected to an open network. JARVIS isn't really set up for that kind of discretion.

"I'm pretty sure _Tony Stark_ is the only person here who could get past my custom encrypted network," Peter adds in a deadly serious and unamused tone. 

"Why, you got state secrets stored on there?" Tony attempts to change the subject, but it falls flat when it seems to just make Peter angrier.

"You're a fucking... _gazillionaire_ and you can't pay for your own data?" He yells, causing people to start turning their heads. "You know what? Get out."

Tony is more than taken aback, outright affronted, even. "You...you can't..."

"I can damn well do what I want," Peter huffs out, crossing his arms (he must work out too, Tony notices the muscles but once again wisely decides not to comment on them). "It's _my_ store, Mr. Stark."

Tony, flushed with embarrassment, tries to stammer out a reply, but ends up turning his heel and making a speedy exit.

"You know, he could probably just buy out the property, Peter," Ned warns once they start closing up for the day. Peter sighs, wearily.

"Yeah, yeah, he’s a greedy capitalist. But it's the principle of it, y'know?" Ned does laugh at that. "Besides, even without my impending overage charges, rent is due in two weeks and I don't think we're gonna be able to afford it this time."

"Too many free pastries?" It's Peter's turn to chuckle.

"The free pastries are the _only_ reason anyone started coming in here." Peter mills around, busying himself with reorganizing shelves while Ned goes back to tidying up the coffee bar. "But yeah, it's definitely been cutting into our budget."

"I wonder if this is gonna turn into, like, a _You've Got Mail_ sort of thing," MJ chimes in, sipping on a black coffee. She isn't on payroll, but agreed to be a 'plant' customer for Peter and Ned in exchange for free coffee. "You know, Stark turns out to be CEO of Barnes and Noble or something."

Peter balks at that. "What are you even talking about?"

" _Peter_ ," Ned says, gawking incredulously, "have you never seen _You've Got Mail_?" 

Peter rolls his eyes. "So I haven't seen one 90s rom com, who cares?"

"You're an independent bookstore owner in _New York City_ ," MJ starts, and Peter can feel the judginess in her eyes despite his back being turned, "and you _haven't_ seen the movie where Tom Hanks woos the indie bookstore owner living on the Upper West Side?"

Peter groans. " _Neither_ of you have read a single Jane Austen novel without a movie tie-in cover but you don't see _me_ complaining about it."

"Okay, but this is _the_ perfect movie to describe your current situation." Ned leans over the side to look at Peter intently. "I bet he starts emailing you anonymous love messages."

"Or buys out the property for his own new chain," MJ adds sardonically.

"Or _both_." Peter can only stare slackjawed at the email he's received from his landlord. An elated message about three months rent paid in full from an unknown, though apparently verified, source. "It's barely been, what? _Four hours_ since I kicked him out of my store?"

"Peter, that's _awesome_!" Ned's rushing over to look at Peter's phone. "Now we don't have to worry about closing down!"

"Yeah, but _now_ we have to worry about being _beholden_ to Tony Stark for his _generosity_ ," Peter grumbles. "This is _exactly_ why I didn't want to carry those big authors, either! He might as well have set up a fucking... _James Patterson_ section.” He pulls at his hair in frustration.

"But...Stark doesn't have an agenda, does he?" Ned asks, unsure.

" _Everyone_ has an agenda," MJ says as she finishes her coffee.

"Thank you, MJ!" Peter sighs.

"Of course, a tech giant like Stark clearly only has a stake in _you_ , Pete," she tacks on, waggling her eyebrows. Peter groans again, unsure why he didn't expect anything different from her usual romantic faire.

"Life isn't like a movie, guys." Peter starts shutting off the lights. "And it's not like a _book_ , either." He says the last bit when both of them look like they're about to say it themselves. "I'm going to Stark Tower tomorrow and tell him to take his damn money back."


End file.
